Julie and Vicky's Story
by Julie Ann Pope
Summary: Clocking Off. Set after episode 3.4 and continue's Julie O'Neil's story as she embarks on a relationship with new machinist Vicky Sullivan.
1. A Date?

**A Date?**

"D'yer want another?" Vicky asked her colleague as she stood up from the settee in her living room. Julie looked deep inside her empty glass as though it held the answers to her own internal questions before giving her host a response.

"I'd love a cuppa, if yer don't mind?" Vicky grinned at the younger woman and understood that she was playing it safe, having had enough to drink to be pleasantly merry but not so much that she was drunk and unaware of what she was doing.

"Of course not, I quite fancy one meself." Julie smiled back and nodded her thanks. She sat back amongst the cushions and tried not to work herself up into a nervous state as she waited for Vicky to make the tea. The evening had been lovely so far, she'd turned up at Vicky's house at seven thirty in her best shirt and trousers and brought a bottle of wine with her as a gift. She'd made an effort with her hair and worn just a hint of make-up and her favourite perfume. Julie might not have had much life experience but she knew not to overdo it on a first date. The thought that it was a date, or at least potentially a date, as they had yet to clarify exactly what all of this was about, scared Julie shitless. But hadn't Susie said that something wasn't worth doing unless it scared you? Which is partly what had prompted Julie to ask Vicky out tonight in the first place.

They'd gone about a mile down the road to a quiet pub Vicky had been to a couple of times before when her sister had been in town. The music hadn't been overbearingly loud and there had been no football or sport on the big-screen TV. Julie and Vicky had chatted about a whole host of things which included going back to an earlier conversation they'd had about sport they played themselves. They finally agreed on that badminton session they'd spoken about and a few scenic walks in the local area. Vicky had also asked about Rob and her aborted move to Hong Kong. Julie had been surprisingly open about it all; she'd not really explained her thoughts and feelings to her parents for fear of them not understanding. They had never really understood her and Julie supposed she'd never really given them the chance to because it was just easier to keep herself to herself. Vicky could see why Julie might have done that and she'd given her a bit of confidence back that she'd made the right decision for herself in the end. They had been turfed out by the landlord at eleven and Vicky had suggested Julie come back to hers for a nightcap.

* * *

Vicky placed the two mugs of tea on the coffee table in front of them and settled herself back on the settee next to Julie. The atmosphere felt heavy; as though they had reached an inevitable point in the evening and Vicky was the one brave enough to address it.

"Julie…?" Up until this moment Vicky hadn't really felt nervous about pursuing Julie. She had been instantly attracted to the younger woman and even though Julie kept her innermost self guarded at the best of times, it hadn't been too difficult to see that the spark between them was mutual. The problem had been trying to get Julie to acknowledge it without running away. Which is what Vicky was scared would happen if she got this next bit wrong.

"Hmm?"

"Is this…I mean…can I talk about the white elephant in the room?" Julie looked at Vicky, slightly puzzled, before what she had meant suddenly dawned on her. Julie gulped nervously and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I like yer, a lot, so I don't want there ter be any…misunderstandings. Is…is this a date?" Julie blushed crimson and had to look away from her colleague as her heart started to race with nerves. Vicky took a chance and reached out to brush Julie's fringe from her eyes and let her hand rest on the younger woman's cheek for a moment. Finally Julie met Vicky's gaze once again, bit her lip and nodded at her shyly. Vicky's smile broadened with the relief and happiness that came over her. It was infectious as Julie returned the smile and they sat there for ages simply grinning at each other. Vicky reached out and locked the fingers of her hand with one of Julie's. She resumed her physical inspection of Julie's face and hair with her free hand. They graduated closer to each other on the settee and Vicky halted her ministrations.

"Do you…can I kiss you?" Julie's mind went into overdrive and most of her thoughts revolved around feeling nervous and inadequate. But a small squeak of a 'yes' was out of her mouth before she realised she had spoken and Vicky shuffled even closer in response. She bent forward slowly and gently brushed her lips against her younger colleague's. It was only a brief kiss but the electricity that flowed between them was unlike anything Julie had ever experienced before and she naturally closed her eyes as she had become overwhelmed by it. Vicky held back and waited for Julie to open her eyes and let her know that the kiss had been okay. When the shy machinist did look at her with something akin wonder in her gaze, Vicky's confidence soared and she leaned in once again for another kiss. This time it was longer and Julie followed Vicky's lead and kissed back. Julie wanted to reach out and touch Vicky, to pull her closer still and to feel the other woman's body against hers but she was so out of her comfort zone she overthought her every move and ended up acting slightly passive instead. Vicky felt Julie responding with her lips but her whole body was rigid and it made her stop in case she was doing something wrong.

"Julie…?" Vicky whispered through her laboured breathing.

"Mmm?" Julie's racing thoughts had yet to catch up with Vicky's question.

"Are you really alright with this? Only, yer not…you don't seem ter be…"

"I am, I want to, I really like yer. It's just…I've never…sorry…" Julie seemed embarrassed by her lack of experience and Vicky found the younger woman even more endearing.

"Hey, don't be sorry. I just wanted ter make sure, I don't want to take advantage of you." It was the first time Vicky had become very conscious of the big age gap between them.

"You're not, you couldn't, I'm just…nervous."

"Oh sweetheart!" Vicky knew that she was going to fall completely head over heels for Julie, she was so unapologetically genuine. "You don't need ter be, I won't push you and we won't do anything yer not comfortable with, I promise."

"You must think I'm a right one, being nervous about…this."

"Of course not! Just be yerself, it's what I like about you. Don't think so much and just go with the flow; tell me if you want to stop and I'll tell you if there's something I don't like." Julie nodded and Vicky leaned in once again to kiss her, only this time Julie got there before she did and knocked her socks off with a bruising kiss. Julie had tangled her hands in the older woman's blonde locks and practically angled herself into her lap. Vicky was rather pleased at this unexpected development and grabbed hold of Julie's hips as she lifted herself onto her knees to press Vicky further into the settee. Vicky's hands moved up Julie's sides and round to the front of her shirt to undo the first three buttons. It was all too much for Julie and she put a hand over Vicky's to stop her.

"Wait, I just…not yet. Soon, but not just yet. Sorry." They kissed gently a few more times before Julie flopped back down on the settee beside Vicky. They both took a few moments to get their breaths back and consider the past few minutes.

"Would stay the night?" Vicky asked the younger woman softly.

"As in…?" Julie raised her eyebrows at her…girlfriend she now supposed.

"Not to do anything; I just want to wake up with you." It had been some time since Vicky had been with anyone and she'd missed it more than she realised. She also wanted to make sure that Julie wasn't going to go home and have a huge change of heart in the cold light of day.

"Me Mam and Dad are expecting me back. They'll worry if I'm not there in the morning." It was far too late to call them anyway and Julie realised that she really ought to be getting home.

"Okay." Vicky couldn't hide the emotionless response even if she had wanted to.

"Are yer disappointed?" Julie felt guilty and wondered if she would be considered a tease.

"A bit, but I understand, I really do. I have a feeling that you're going ter be worth the wait." Vicky's reassuring smile in turn made Julie smile and she reached out to cup her cheek.

"Are yer sure?" Vicky leaned in and gave Julie a chaste kiss.

"Very sure." They left it there that evening and Julie went home in a daze but it was so very different from the last time she had left Vicky's house late at night. Her heart swelled whenever she thought about the older woman and even though she was still nervous and scared about the changes this would mean, she was also happy on a fundamental level and it was a feeling she'd never really experienced before. This was the thing that she'd always missed out on, the thing that other people got to experience while she'd been left behind. She knew that whatever happened next wasn't going to be easy, but with Vicky by her side she felt like anything was possible.


	2. Eight Weeks Later

**Eight Weeks Later**

"Auntie Julie!" Rhiannon launched herself at her aunt as Amanda came through the crowd of passengers a little behind her with Katie. Julie lifted her eldest niece into her arms and balanced her on her hip as she waited for her sister-in-law and second niece to catch up. The blonde haired woman towed a couple of suitcases behind her while the smaller child haphazardly dragged a small 'Barbie' case along. Amanda smiled as she spotted Julie hugging her niece as tightly as she could. They'd been gone for nearly five years and had only come back home to visit on three occasions in all that time. Julie had made an effort to speak to the girls on the phone and sent them frequent parcels and gifts but Rhiannon was the only one old enough to understand or properly remember who her aunt was.

"Julie! What a welcome sight." Amanda greeted her sister-in-law enthusiastically. They had always got along well and Julie had been over the moon when Robert had proposed to her nearly ten years ago.

"How was yer flight?" Julie asked the blonde as she noticed the tiredness etched on her face.

"Long. The girls were good though. Thanks again for meeting us." Julie put a reluctant Rhiannon on the ground and picked up one of the suitcases instead. Rhiannon immediately grabbed hold of her aunt's free hand and squashed herself into her side. "Someone's missed their auntie!" Rhiannon looked between the adults with a grin and nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm sure the novelty will soon wear off, especially living under the same roof fer a while." They started to walk over to the taxi rank at the other end of the arrivals lounge.

"I really do appreciate it you know. Mum only has the one room and she's not as well as she could be. Having two kids running around all day and night would be too stressful for her." The two women talked as they walked with the suitcases and girls in tow.

"It's no problem at all. Mam's got a feast fer you all when we get back 'ome and yer rooms are already made up." They waited at the taxi rank for a lift back to Julie's childhood home. Amanda put the suitcases down and hugged her sister-in-law tightly.

"I'm sorry that the circumstances couldn't have been better. Brenda and Eddie are so very kind to put us up. I would have understood if they hadn't offered." Julie hugged back and felt a pang of anger at her brother for letting things get this bad.

"I'm just sorry that me brother's a bit of a twat. Don't get me wrong, I love 'im but I can't believe 'e let you and the girls slip through 'is fingers so easily." Julie had always craved that someone special to share her life with, whether she had understood her feelings in the past or not, and her brother's recent attitude had disappointed her greatly. Especially as on some level, which she reluctantly admitted to, she had quite looked up to him.

"Don't think too badly of him, it takes two to make a marriage work or fail." Amanda was the sort of person who saw things fairly and tried to see the best in all people.

"I understand that, but he didn't have ter use me as a bargaining tool! I'm so sorry about that, I never would 'ave wanted to see you separated from yer kids."

"I know that Julie, you've always been there for us." They'd only had to wait ten minutes before a taxi pulled up beside them and Amanda flagged it down. "Here's to new beginnings."

* * *

Monday soon rolled around and Julie walked through the large ring-fenced gates as she finished off her second fag of the morning. She slowed to a meander as her eyes scoured the sea of factory workers for that one special someone. Suddenly the blonde came into view from the other side of the gate and Julie beamed at her as she walked over to meet her. Vicky spotted her girlfriend straight away, having been looking out for her too. They met halfway and fell into step up the road towards the factory entrance. They discreetly clasped hands and spoke quietly and intimately underneath all the frivolous chatter from their colleagues about their weekends.

"I've missed you." Vicky spoke first, so completely unafraid of expressing her emotions to the younger woman. Julie was still unused to voicing her feelings to someone aloud, having kept them bottled up for so long.

"Me too." They hadn't had long before they needed to separate and get to work but it was enough to ensure that they were both alright after their weekend of separation. Vicky had been well informed of Amanda's arrival after she had finally separated from Julie's brother Robert and that she had been invited to stay with her in-laws until she could find somewhere more permanent to live. Julie had told her how her mother had been more than excited by her new house guests and Vicky could tell that Julie wasn't too upset at being so close to her long-missed nieces either.

"Talk later?" Vicky suggested and Julie nodded before catching up with some other friends. They had got into a routine of sharing their morning and afternoon fag breaks and had found a quiet spot around the back of the factory to have a private moment or two together. Vicky felt a little uncomfortable around the others when in Julie's presence, not Susie, Hannah or Jenny but mostly Freda. She hadn't been quite as welcoming as the other girls and looked at her like she'd done something wrong. Vicky had been nothing but nice to everyone, so couldn't quite put her finger on what it could be. Still, it was no skin off her nose and who Julie chose to spend her time with was her own decision.

* * *

At 11am Julie disappeared off on her break first while Vicky went to the loo and grabbed a cup of tea. They met a few minutes later out the back just to the left of the bins. Vicky put her mug down on a ledge and smiled shyly at the brunette puffing away on her cigarette against the wall.

"Hello." The blonde greeted her lover, almost as though they hadn't seen each other earlier or hadn't been sitting a few yards from each other all morning.

"'ello." Julie finished her fag and reached for Vicky. The kissed like it had been the two days they'd been apart. It was the longest they'd gone without seeing each other since they had got together nearly two months ago. They had begun reasonably slowly but once Julie had gained some confidence in herself and in that Vicky wasn't going to run away, she had relaxed and things had progressed well between them. Julie had even stopped over at Vicky's the odd night here and there.

"D'yer want to come round to mine tonight? Grab a takeaway, perhaps stay over?" Julie's face fell and she shook her head sadly.

"I'd love to but I said that I'd watch the girls fer Amanda while she visits her mum." Vicky looked as disappointed as Julie felt.

"Can't yer mum look after them?" Julie shook her head.

"Bridge night and Dad's on lates this week." Vicky nuzzled at Julie's neck, conscious that their break was rapidly coming to an end.

"How about tomorrow? I know it's aerobics day but I've missed you." Julie's enjoyment of the attention she was receiving might have had something to do with her enthusiastic response.

"Oh…yes, that's great! I'm sure Freda won't mind, just this once." They were about to go into another round of kissing when a voice from behind startled them.

"Freda won't mind what?" The woman in question asked from the fire escape door having caught her friend and colleague in a compromising position. Vicky blushed and chuckled lightly but Julie looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"It's not what it looks like…!" Julie began to explain in her defence but Vicky grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it gently to stop her. She was well aware that Julie had no reason to apologise or explain her actions.

"Oh I think it's exactly what it looks like." Freda squared up to Vicky and stuck out an accusatory finger at her. "I knew your game as soon as you walked out onto the shop floor with Julie on yer first day. Taking advantage of a vulnerable young woman, you should be ashamed of yerself." Julie looked between the two women in confusion.

"Yer what?!" she spoke aloud by accident.

"I don't think you're giving Julie much credit to make her own decisions there. I've neither forced nor coerced her into doing anything she doesn't want to do."

"Well, she weren't 'that way' before you came along!" Julie looked at her friend incredulously but she was scared to speak up at the same time. Once she had said the words aloud she wouldn't be able to take them back. Vicky gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and Julie decided that she was going to be brave for once.

"You know that's not true Freda. I might not have said it explicitly but you've always known… You've always known that I'm gay." There, it was out and Julie felt a rush of adrenaline, some of it fear but another part was relief that the burden of her secret was no longer entirely on her shoulders.

"But that was all just theory, until the right man came along surely? This is real life." Vicky stood quietly holding Julie's hand in support but she almost said something when Freda had said that. Did people really still think that these days? She'd had her own fair share of reactions when she first came out but this was two thousand and two!

"Of course it's real! And 'vulnerable?' I might be a bit inexperienced and naïve but I'm certainly not vulnerable. I know exactly what I'm doing and I choose to be with Vicky. She makes me happy." Surely her friend had noticed that these past few weeks?

"She's old enough to be your…well a lot older than you anyway. She ought to have known better." Vicky looked up at Julie's long-time friend sadly.

"I care very much for Julie and I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. I'm just sorry you don't seem to feel the same way." The bell shrilled and it signified the end of their mid-morning break. Freda started to walk away and back down the fire escape but stopped to turn around and deliver a parting shot.

"This isn't over." It was angry more than venomous and Vicky tried to persuade Julie that she was just in shock over everything and that they would be friends again soon enough. Julie wasn't quite so sure and once she was back at her machine she worried herself into a state. What exactly did Freda mean and what was she going to do with her new found discovery, despite their friendship?

* * *

As soon as the bell went for lunch, Julie attempted to speak to Freda before she could disappear. The older woman ignored her and made her way to the canteen with Jenny and Susie as usual. Vicky waited behind for a few minutes to see if Julie was okay.

"Are you alright?" Julie shrugged off the comforting hand Vicky had placed on her shoulder.

"She hates me." Vicky's momentary hurt disappeared and instead she sat Julie down at one of the machines closest to them.

"Give 'er time, if she's as good a friend as you deserve then she'll come round."

"What if she doesn't?" The usually bubbly younger woman seemed more despondent than Vicky had seen her before.

"I'm sure she will but if not, then that's not your fault and it will be her loss." Julie thought about it for a moment and steeled herself to get up and go to lunch.

"I suppose you're right. Come on, I'm starving!" They left the deserted factory floor and made their way to the canteen. As soon as they walked in the buzzing atmosphere came to a deadly silent halt and all eyes were trained on the latecomers. It wasn't unusual for there to be stragglers so it was pretty obvious that it was their particular entrance which had got their colleagues attention. Julie felt completely out of her depth and knew instantly that Freda must have said something. She turned to bolt out of the canteen but was stopped by Vicky. She leaned over and whispered in Julie's ear.

"Let's do this, let's be brave and stand up fer ourselves." Julie looked at her doubtfully and whispered back as her voice cracked.

"I don't want to be brave." Gradually people started chatting amongst themselves once again but Julie got the distinct feeling that she was still being watched. She and Vicky lined up to get their lunch in silence. Once their trays were full they headed for their usual table with Freda, Susie, Hannah and Jenny. Their spaces were still available but Freda scowled at them as they tried to sit down.

"What!?" Julie sniped at Freda.

"I'm not sure I want to share a table with you two." Freda sniped back at her and shot a scathing look at Vicky.

"What 'ave we done that's so wrong?" Julie was fed up with this palaver now and sat down anyway, Vicky quickly followed suit.

"Let them have their lunch in peace." Susie piped up in defence of her friend and she smiled at Julie hoping to reassure her.

"Just remember that she's been looking after kids, including your Ryan, and kept this a secret from us all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Julie was shocked by the direction in which the conversation had turned.

"If you don't know then you're even more 'naïve' than I thought." Freda had clearly had enough and got up from the table, scraping her chair on the floor as she did so. Julie's eyes brimmed with tears and Vicky reached out and clasped her hand in comfort. Jenny and Susie's eyes fell on where their hands touched and they couldn't help but gawp for a few moments.

"So it's true then?" Susie addressed Julie and the brunette looked up at her friend with such sadness on her face.

"Yeah, you might as well say your piece now, while everyone else is taking their pot shots."

"I don't hate you Julie, I'm shocked, but I don't hate you. Or you Vicky. It's not going to be easy but if this is what you both want then I'm happy for you."

* * *

Julie had just got back to her machine after the rather awkward lunch break when Mack came striding out of his office and onto the shop floor. All the girls sat up and took notice as he walked right up to Julie.

"A word in my office please?" He didn't look too happy, although it was a rare sight to see a smile from him anyway. Julie gulped with nervousness and wondered if she was about to get her marching orders. Nothing would surprise her now. He offered her a seat in the chair opposite his desk. "I've been informed of some gossip that has been going around the factory today. Now I don't care what you do in your private life as long as it stays private, but when it involves another member of my staff I need to know that it's not going to affect your work." Julie looked down at her feet in embarrassment as her personal life was the last thing she had wanted to discuss with her boss.

"Yes Mack, of course it won't. When have I ever let you down before?" She knew that he valued her as a member of staff and she hated the thought that he would potentially think badly of her.

"That's what I thought. On a personal note, off the record, it's true then? That you're a…you know and Vicky…." Julie sighed and wondered if this was something she was going to have to get used to now.

"It's true, Vicky and I are seeing each other." It still sounded foreign to her ears and Julie briefly wondered if she would get used to being one half of a couple.

"Good…good…I mean not good, but not bad…if you know what I mean?" It was obvious that despite his curiosity, her boss didn't really know what to say in this situation.

"Not really Mack." The gruff factory owner swallowed down his machismo and said what he felt for once.

"Yer a good lass Julie, you deserve to be happy and Vicky seems..nice." In truth he had barely registered who Vicky was but he'd known Julie a long time and she was one of his best and most reliable workers.

"Thanks, that means a lot."

As Julie got her belongings together to leave for the evening, a steady stream of her colleagues approached her. At first she was worried that they were going to say something horrible and Vicky hovered in the background to keep an eye out for her girlfriend. But every single one offered their support and conspiratorially acknowledged that they had a brother, uncle, niece or son who was also gay. She had been rather overwhelmed by it all and felt quite shaken by the events of the day as a whole.

* * *

**Later That Night**

Brenda pottered about in the kitchen as she made dinner for herself, Julie and her granddaughters. Julie had plonked herself in front of the television with the girls and had barely moved or said a word since she'd come home from work.

"Julie…?" Brenda called out to her daughter from the kitchen.

"Yeah Mum?" Rhiannon caught Julie's eye-roll and giggled conspiratorially with her aunt before she turned her attention back to the children's program.

"Can you set the table for me love?" Julie sighed deeply as she got up to go to the kitchen. She'd just about got comfortable and had tried to put today's events to the back of her mind for a while. Brenda handed her daughter the cutlery and continued with the meal as Julie got to work. "You're quiet this evening love, has anything happened at work?" Julie stopped dead in her tracks and wondered if someone had got to her mum before she had come home.

"Why, has someone said something?" Both Susie and Freda had met her mother and had her home phone number so it was possible, although she couldn't believe that Freda would have been as malicious as that and Susie had said that she was okay with it earlier.

"No. Has something happened?" Damn, now her mum knew that something was up.

"It's nothing I can't handle." Julie thought that she had passed it off as nothing to worry about quite well and if questioned further she would say that she'd had a row with someone. It's not like it would have been the first time, she remembered her scrap with Steve's wife a couple of years ago well enough.

"Julie, if something's wrong you can tell me love." Julie knew that her mum was only being helpful and kind but she had no idea about the secret that Julie was hiding from her. Something that she was so afraid to talk to her mother about out of fear of being rejected she couldn't even look her in the eye.

"It's fine, it'll blow over in a day or two." Hopefully her mum would buy it, for the time being at least.

"Well, if you're sure?" Julie nodded and finished setting the table.

* * *

Once the girls were in bed and asleep Julie called Vicky as she needed someone to talk to about everything that had happened.

"This is why I never said anything before. Is it always this hard?" Vicky sighed for a moment and chose her words carefully. She didn't want to lie to her girlfriend but she didn't want to scare her either.

"Sometimes. I fell out with some friends in the early days, but most of them came round in the end, once they'd seen how much happier I was." Vicky had her legs tucked up under her as she sat on the settee. She would much rather Julie was sitting next to her but she knew that she had missed her nieces terribly and was only too happy to babysit whenever her sister-in-law needed her to.

"And what about the ones who didn't come round?" Julie wasn't so naïve to think that she wouldn't lose a single friend or colleague over this, let alone how her family might react.

"It's their loss. If they can't accept you for who you are then they're not worthy of your friendship in the first place." And Vicky had learned that lesson well enough.

"I wish it were as easy as that. I thought someone had said something to Mam earlier, she asked if something had happened today." Julie ran her fingers through her hair as the weariness over the whole thing settled over her.

"Perhaps you ought to think about telling your parents, before someone else does get to them. It would be better if it came straight from you rather than finding out second hand." Unbeknownst to Julie, Brenda had come home and had hung her coat up on the peg beside the door. When she had heard Julie on the phone to someone her natural nosiness piqued and she listened carefully just outside the living room.

"I wouldn't know how to tell them, it's not something that has ever come up." Julie had already started to rehearse what she could say to them in her head but dismissed every conversation and decided to put it off for another day. There was _always_ another day and the truth was that if she could put it off forever she would have done.

"I'm sure you'll find the right words sweetheart. Perhaps it will be easier if they met me and saw for themselves that I'm not an ogre or have a shockingly short haircut, wear ripped jeans and doctor martins?" Julie laughed out loud.

"Somehow I don't think what you wear would be the problem." Vicky chuckled back at her down the line.

"No, I suppose not. Don't worry too much about it, tomorrow's another day and they'll soon find something else to gossip about." Vicky hadn't been at Mackintosh's long but places like that were all the same, they practically ran on gossip and there was always something new to talk about.

"Probably. I'm sorry but I think I should turn in. I love you." There was silence at the other end of the phone for a moment.

"I…wow! That was unexpected." Vicky's breath had caught in her throat at the declaration.

"What?" Julie genuinely hadn't realised what had made Vicky sound so surprised.

"It's the first time you've said that to me." The older woman's delight was clear in her voice.

"Is it? I've meant to say it before, lots of times. I think I just overthought it." It was true and Julie felt slightly embarrassed that the declaration hadn't been more ceremonious.

"Well I love you too, very much so and you can say it to me any time you like." They wrapped up their goodbyes as Brenda grinned from ear to ear and drew her own conclusions after hearing the one-sided conversation.


	3. The Following Weekend

**The Following Weekend**

"Mam, Dad…can I talk to you fer a minute?" Julie was more nervous than she had been in her life. When she was with Vicky, her older girlfriend made her feel like nothing would be an issue between them, no matter how small or insignificant the worry was. This was something else entirely. She'd kept this huge part of herself locked away, deep down inside, for so long. Some of it had been because she hadn't wanted to deal with it head on herself but the other part, the bigger part, had been out of fear of her parents (and friends, colleagues) reaction. She'd heard the stories and seen the news about families disowning their gay children. She'd never spoken to her parents about their thoughts on gay people or ever even heard them discussing the subject. This was completely unknown territory and Julie was all too aware of the irreparable damage that could be done. But she was very happy with Vicky and things were progressing to a point where it was going to be more difficult to deny that there was someone in her life. Not to mention the incident with Freda earlier on in the week and the fact that the entire factory now knew about her relationship with Vicky.

"Julie, love. What's wrong?" Brenda wasn't used to there being anything that troubled her usually placid daughter. She couldn't say the same for her son and constantly worried about what he was up to.

"Nothing's wrong Mam, I just…sit down." Julie waited for her parents to sit down at the kitchen table and took a seat opposite them. They looked at her with such worry on their faces and Julie wondered if hers looked the same but she took a deep breath and went ahead with her much rehearsed speech.

"I've been seeing someone." Her mother grinned at her and then turned to her dad and they grinned and nodded at each other knowingly. Julie clued in pretty quickly by the looks on their faces.

"You knew!?" Julie had thought that she'd been quite good at hiding it, even the evenings she had stayed over at Vicky's but she'd obviously been changed by falling in love and it was all too clear for her parents to have seen.

"We had an inkling, but thought you would tell us in your own time." It was unlike Brenda to be diplomatic which made Julie's think that it was her dad who had suggested keeping quiet about it until she had told them herself. He had always understood her marginally better than her mum, probably because they were of a similar ilk.

"Come on then; what's his name, where did you meet?" Julie's face fell as it became clear that they weren't quite as observant she she'd hoped they'd been. This was the part of the conversation she had been dreading. But Vicky had encouraged her to go through with it, no matter what and that had bolstered her confidence and determination.

"Her name's Vicky and she's a machinist at Mackintosh's." Julie had been prepared to say more but the looks on her parent's faces stopped her in her tracks. Her mum looked shocked and her dad wore a neutral, contemplative expression.

"You didn't mean to say 'she' did yer love?" Her mum almost pleaded with her to say that she hadn't. Eddie put a reassuring hand over his wife's as Julie went to continue.

"I'm sorry if I've shocked yer Mam but it's true. She's a really lovely person and she wants to meet yer both. You can find out for yerself then." Brenda let out a little squeak of indignation.

"If you think, for one moment, that we…." She began to rant but was silenced by her husband before she could say anything too damaging.

"Perhaps if Julie explained a little more about….Vicky….and all of this first, we might be a little more…understanding?" Julie smiled up at her dad and appreciated that he was at least trying.

"As far back as I can remember I knew that I was…different…to the other girls at school. I joined in when they gossiped about boys and stuff but I never really understood it. I just didn't feel the same way they did. And then there was this girl, it doesn't matter who it was now, but I was besotted with her. I thought it was because I wanted ter be her at first; she was pretty and popular and was good at school without being swotty. But I got all these butterflies in me stomach when I was around 'er and I had a million things I wanted to say to her but I could never quite get the words out when it came to it. Anyway, nothing happened, of course it didn't, but it did make me think about what it all meant. I heard the word lesbian one day when I was sixteen or seventeen and went to the library ter look up everything I could about it. Suddenly so much made sense and the more I thought about it the more I knew that this was who I was." Julie had never really used the 'l' word about herself before. Her good friend at Mackintosh's, Yvonne, had worked it out but she'd only implied certain things as opposed to openly saying the 'l' word. Brenda appeared to be getting more upset and Julie wondered if she should continue. She looked to her dad for reassurance.

"Carry on Julie, what happened next?" Eddie prompted his daughter and squeezed Brenda's hand in a gesture of comfort. The policeman in him thought that they couldn't decide how to deal with this without knowing all the facts.

"Nothing much really. I buried it; I thought it was weird and I didn't want ter have to deal with it or other people's reactions. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to be gay, just that I was. I got involved in other people's lives, became friends and babysitters and 'good old reliable Julie' who didn't have a life of 'er own. It's easier ter be lots of things to lots of different people rather than have to think about yourself and what you want. I had crushes on people, women, of course and a couple of the girls at the factory worked it out, but nothing was ever really said, just a sort of quiet acknowledgement that I was different." Freda still wasn't talking to Julie despite the fact that most of her colleagues had been supportive and it was still hard to fathom quite why she'd taken umbrage against it more than most.

"So what's changed?" Julie could tell her father had gone into policeman mode but he had always been careful to enquire rather than to interrogate his family.

"Vicky started at Mackintosh's when Rob was over. We got along really well straight away and had a couple of nights out together where I realised that I felt something for her. But then I decided that I was going to Hong Kong and that was going to be the end of that. I felt sad about it, in a way that I hadn't thought about before. Anyway, when I found out the truth about Rob and Amanda and decided to stay here instead, I found the courage to actually say something to Vicky, so we went on a date. That was two months ago and we've been seeing each other ever since."

"And tell us about her, what's she like?" Brenda continued to sit in silence and simply took it all in. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions and she wouldn't have been able to construct a sentence even if she had wanted to.

"She's, umm, quite a bit older than me; forty-eight with a grown up daughter. I've met Tina once and she's really lovely too. Vicky was married to Tina's dad but it didn't work out early on so they got divorced. She's been out with men and women, but the last fifteen years or so she's only dated women. She's sporty and funny but she's a little bit quiet like me, more reserved and likes a gentler pace of life. She likes a drink and a laugh too, just prefers to relax at home if she can. We make each other laugh and that's really important for us both." Brenda suddenly got up from the kitchen table and went off upstairs to her bedroom in a state. Tears sprang to Julie's eyes and she couldn't bear to look at her dad.

"I've let you both down, I'm sorry." Julie couldn't feel worse about herself and all of Vicky's support and encouragement had gone flying out of the window when she had seen how devastated her mother had been. Eddie got up from his seat too and for a moment Julie thought he was going to walk out on his shameful daughter too. Instead he came round to Julie's side of the table, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her forehead as he had done many times before when she was a child.

"Now then, let's make a brew and talk sensibly about this."

* * *

"Have you found that thing you thought was missing?" Eddie asked his daughter as they sat on the garden bench drinking their tea. It was a conversation they'd had one late night after Rob had persuaded her to uproot herself and go back to Hong Kong with him. Julie thought about her dad's question for a moment.

"I think I 'ave, yeah." She smiled wistfully as she thought about Vicky waiting for her to come round later that evening. Eddie patted his daughter's knee in a gesture of support.

"Then I'm happy for you and I would like to meet Vicky sometime soon." Julie looked at her father, stunned by his acceptance of her and her relationship.

"Are yer sure?" He nodded and smiled gently at her.

"Yer me daughter. This might not have been what I'd have chosen for yer, but then being lonely wasn't either. I'm sorry if you've not felt able to talk to us about this. I should have been a better father and realised before now." Eddie sat back and took a sip of his tea. He sincerely meant it and felt inordinately guilty for assuming things about his daughter and taking her easy going nature for granted.

"Thank you fer understanding, or at least trying to understand. You've done nothing wrong, neither of you." They hugged each other tightly and Julie began to feel at ease with herself once again, All this uncertainly and tension wasn't natural to her and it made her feel quite out of sorts.

"Your mam will come round eventually, just give her time to get her head around it all. But don't feel that you can't talk about Vicky, or work or whatever else you want to talk about. Just make it a normal part of your conversation so that she can't get away from it." Eddie knew that he would have to face a difficult conversation with his wife later himself, but that wasn't for Julie to worry about.

"Thanks Dad, I was so worried you'd disown me or chuck me out or summat." Julie had felt that way ever since she'd worked out that she was gay and it had been the thing that had frightened her the most. Once she had been working for a few years and had saved up enough money for a deposit on her own place, she'd become so entrenched in her solitary lifestyle that she had become too scared to move.

"Oh love! I'm so sorry you thought that." It really brought it home to Eddie how scared his daughter must have been all these years. He was certainly going to make sure she never had reason to doubt his support again.


	4. The Girls

** The Girls**

Julie's news gradually spread round the rest of the family with mixed reactions. Eddie took it upon himself to handle the less than positive responses and kept any unpleasantness away from his daughter. She had explained to him about Freda's reaction and he had suggested that she handled it in the same way as her mother. Things were still tense at work but thankfully Freda appeared to be the only sticking point. The lads had made the typical salacious responses and surprisingly Mack had been the one to get them to tone it down. It was funny how they had all seemed to pick on Julie, yet Vicky had been left pretty much alone. Julie thought it was just because they had known her for so long and she'd never really told them anything about herself before now. She had never been anything particularly special to her workmates; neither interesting nor dull, she was sociable but not a party animal and well known and liked but not especially noteworthy either. Freda's main problem seemed to be Vicky and as much as her old friend was simply ignoring Julie, she had tried to make Vicky's life deliberately difficult. Fortunately most people seemed to be aware of the fractious relationship between them and gave Vicky the benefit of the doubt.

After her initial conversation with her parents, Julie had stayed a while longer to talk it through with Amanda and explain it in her own words before her mother had a chance to over-dramatise the situation. Part of Julie was worried that it would affect her relationship with her nieces and she'd be left in a worse position than when they were living in Hong Kong. Fortunately Amanda was a reasonable and open-minded sort of person and turned out to be incredibly supportive. They had both pondered over what Rob's reaction would be and Julie admitted that she wasn't really that concerned. It wasn't that she didn't care, although she would be sad if he had a major issue with her sexuality, it was more that she no longer felt that she had to compare herself with him and his approval of her lifestyle didn't matter anymore.

* * *

Julie tore around her childhood home one Saturday morning and grabbed odds and sods that she needed for the rest of the weekend from different rooms. Everyone was already awake so she wasn't disturbing them but it was still early enough that she hadn't had breakfast yet. She was saving that until she got to Vicky's place. Amanda caught her as she stuffed some clean clothes into her rucksack straight from the washing machine.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you Julie but would you mind watching the girls for me today? I've just been offered an extra shift this morning and then I've got an appointment with an estate agent this afternoon." Amanda had been searching for a small house for her and the girls since she had arrived back in England a couple of weeks ago and she'd managed to sort out a part time job via her mum but needed to do all the hours she could until she'd sorted out her pay off from Rob.

"I'd love to help Amanda but I've got plans with Vicky today." After seeing Amanda's disappointed face Julie stared off into the distance while she considered something but shook her head as she thought better of it.

"What?" Her sister-in-law had picked up on Julie's indecision.

"I was just wondering…how would yer feel if they spent the day with us? I'm sure Vicky wouldn't mind." Vicky loved kids just as much as Julie did, especially little ones. She just hadn't been able to cope with teenagers since her Tina had been one!

"Oh Julie, you're a life-saver!" Amanda seemed more than relieved and squeezed her sister-in-law in a tight hug.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I'm not going to hide who we are from them." As much as Julie adored her nieces she had really been looking forward to this weekend with Vicky. Although they worked together, they didn't really get any quality time to relax and just simply be with each other. She really could do with a few cuddles too and was reluctant to forego that luxury she so desperately needed.

"Julie, you're their aunt. I don't expect you to hide anything about yourself from them." Amanda didn't want to get into that cycle of outwardly pretending Julie and Vicky were just friends but everyone concerned knew otherwise, including the very people they were trying to 'protect.'

"But what if they ask questions?" Telling her own family and colleagues about her relationship with Vicky was one thing, explaining sexuality to her young nieces was another subject she felt inadequately qualified for.

"Then tell them the truth, just in a way that they'd understand." Perhaps it was something she could get Vicky to do, after all she'd been through it all before with Tina.

"And you're really okay with this?"

"Of course I am! I want my girls to grow up accepting that everyone is different and that it's okay. I want them to respect all people and to feel free to be themselves. What if either of them turned out to be gay too? Or one of their best friends from school? Wouldn't you want them to accept their friend or themselves better than you were able to?" Julie hadn't really considered it like that and it did make some sort of sense. All of this was still very new to her even though deep down she'd known her own sexuality for many years. In fact she probably hadn't been that much older that Rhiannon when her difference had become increasingly apparent, to herself at least. The thought of another child having to go through that uncertainty made Julie feel sad and if she could do something so simple as to be honest with her young nieces then perhaps one of their friends, or they themselves, would have the courage to deal with it much earlier than she did.

* * *

"Granny, Granny! Auntie Julie and Auntie Vicky took us to the park and we fed squirrels nuts out of our hands and we made pictures out of leaves and acorns and then had hot chocolate and cake and played games oh and look what I drew!" Rhiannon bounced up and down on the balls of her feet in her excitement as she handed her grandmother a pencil drawing of her day out. It was coloured in with bright, bold colours as opposed to accurate ones and she had gone over the edges on some of the objects. But it wasn't the lurid colouring in that had made Brenda stop in her tracks, it was the fact that besides Rhiannon and Katie and a few blobs with ears that probably represented animals, there were two women holding hands and kissing. The labels above their heads clearly indicated that they with Auntie Julie and 'Auntie' Vicky. Brenda snatched the paper out of Rhiannon's hand and took it to Amanda who was still hanging up their coats in the hallway.

"Have you seen this?" The older woman waved the bit of paper in front of Amanda's face.

"Yes, it's rather good isn't it? Did it all by herself apparently. Katie did one too."

"Have you looked at it properly? Our Julie and _that_ woman?" Amanda could almost see the steam shooting out from her mother-in-law's ears.

"Who, Vicky? Julie's _girlfriend_? Of course, they both looked after the girls today." Amanda knew exactly what her mother-in-law was getting at but she wanted to her say it out loud so she could see how ridiculous she was being.

"And you're happy about that?!" Amanda realised how difficult it must have been for Julie recently, knowing that her mother was so vehemently against her sexuality and her relationship.

"Yes of course, why wouldn't I be? Vicky's a lovely woman and she and Julie seem so happy together. The girls have had such a wonderful day with them."

"You've met her?" Brenda was infuriated, although Amanda suspected she was also curious but too suborn to admit it.

"I stayed for a brew when I went to pick the girls up."

* * *

Amanda had really needed a cup of tea and a chat after her long day and Vicky had been kind enough to invite her to stay for one when she had turned up on her doorstep. The girls had clearly enjoyed themselves immensely and hyperactively showed off what they had been up to in front of their mum. Julie had gone to the kitchen to make the tea, followed by the girls, which left Vicky alone with Amanda to chat.

"Sorry to have messed up your plans for the day. The girls do seem to have had fun though." Amanda sat on Vicky's settee and quickly glanced around at the dressed living room, it had a certain cosy atmosphere about it.

"It's alright, it's been no bother. They're good girls and they make Julie happy." That had been clear even before Vicky had met the girls in the flesh. Julie seemed to get on very well with children in general, but her own family were even more special.

"So do you by the looks of things?" Amanda conspiratorially nudged the older woman and Vicky blushed.

"I hope so, she makes me very happy too." They were interrupted by the girls as they waited right in front of them on the settee to ask a question.

"What is it girls?" Amanda asked her daughters but they addressed their host instead.

"Auntie Vicky, please may we have an orange juice?" Rhiannon asked but Katie stood behind her and nodded her agreement.

"Of course you may." Amanda looked at Vicky in stunned silence once the girls had scurried off back to their aunt in the kitchen. "How did you get them to do that?" Vicky chuckled.

"I thought they came like that? Perhaps it's just a novelty at the moment? They really have been very good today."

"Well however you've managed it you're welcome to babysit anytime!" Amanda looked at Vicky and suddenly realised how that might have sounded. "I mean if you want to, I don't expect…"

"It's fine, I know what you meant. They really were no bother at all. It's actually been nice to have little ones running around again." Vicky meant it sincerely. They'd taken the girls to the park after breakfast and supervised them larking about with the leaves. It was amazing how something so simple had kept them entertained for ages. They then sat down with hot chocolates and fed the squirrels nuts from their hands. Vicky hadn't done anything like that since Tina had been small. They'd collected up some of the leaves and other things to get creative with later and then ventured into a small tea shop to indulge in some cake for a mid-afternoon snack.

"Julie tells me that you have a daughter?"

"Tina, yeah. She's 24 next birthday and has a life of her own." Once she'd been to university she'd more or less flown the nest and had a whole other life away from her mum.

"Do you see her much?"

"Occasionally, once a month or so. She lives in Leeds with her boyfriend so I try to stay well out of it." They were still reasonably close though and Tina would never forget to give her mum the occasional phone call just to check that she was alright.

"Does she know about Julie?"

"Oh yes, I've always been honest with her. They seemed to get on well when they met the other week, but she's not around often so they haven't had much chance to get to know each other properly." The girls came back into the living room carefully balancing their full beakers of orange juice in their hands. Amanda grabbed hold of their drinks as they plonked themselves on the carpet and sat cross-legged ready to receive their drinks back. It meant that Julie wasn't going to be far behind with the tea.

"I'm so glad you've found each other. I've never seen Julie this happy or energised and you seem so well suited. Welcome to the family!" Vicky didn't get a chance to respond as her girlfriend came through to the living room carrying a tray loaded with biscuits, a teapot, some milk and three mugs. At Vicky's wide grin, Julie shrugged her shoulders.

"What?! Yer said we could help ourselves to anything." Vicky and Amanda shared a conspiratorial look and giggled between them. It was the sheer domesticity of the whole thing that had made them giggle. Despite not really understanding, Julie couldn't help but laugh along with them and soon the girls had also joined in with the joviality. Julie and Vicky beamed at each other once the laughter had begun to settle down. Finally there was a ray of sunshine in what had been a difficult couple of weeks for the pair.


End file.
